Hit and Run? Here's Exactly What to Do

Don't Chase the Other Driver

Your instinct is going to scream at you to follow them. Resist it. Chasing a hit-and-run driver is dangerous for several reasons. You are likely upset and not in the right state of mind to drive aggressively through traffic. They may drive even more recklessly to get away. If there is a subsequent accident during the chase, you could be found partially at fault or even face criminal charges in some jurisdictions.

Stay where you are. If you can safely see which direction they went, note it. If you caught any part of the plate number, write it down immediately. But do not follow them. The best way to find this person is through evidence, not a car chase.

Document What You Remember

Right now, before the adrenaline fades and the details get fuzzy, open your phone and write down everything you can recall about the other vehicle and driver:

• Vehicle color, make, and model (even "dark SUV" or "white sedan" helps)
• Any part of the license plate, even a single character
• Direction they drove away (north on Main, turned right on 5th, etc.)
• Any distinguishing features: damage to their vehicle, bumper stickers, roof rack, dents
• Description of the driver if you saw them
• Exact time of the incident

Then photograph your own damage, the scene, any debris left behind (broken headlight pieces, paint transfer on your car), skid marks, and the surrounding area. Look for paint from the other vehicle on yours. That paint color and its location on your car tells investigators a lot about the type of vehicle and how the impact occurred.

Talk to witnesses. If anyone saw what happened, get their name and phone number. Ask if they saw the other vehicle or got the plate. Witnesses leave fast, so do this before anything else.

Call 911 Immediately

A hit-and-run is a crime in every state. Call 911 and report it. Give them the vehicle description and direction of travel. If you have any part of the plate number, provide that. The sooner they know, the better their chances of finding the vehicle in the area.

When the officer arrives, give them everything you documented. Ask for the police report number. You will need this for your insurance claim. Without a police report, most insurance companies will not process a hit-and-run claim at all.

If police are taking a long time to arrive and there are no injuries, you can go to the nearest police station to file the report in person. Just make sure you do it the same day while details are fresh.

Look for Dashcam Footage

This is the single most important thing you can do after calling 911, and most people do not think of it until it is too late.

Think about the cars that were around you when it happened. At a stoplight, there might have been three or four other vehicles. In traffic, dozens. Any one of those drivers could have a dashcam that was recording when the other vehicle hit you and drove away. That footage likely captured the license plate, the vehicle make and model, and the exact moment of impact.

The problem is that most dashcams use loop recording. They record over old footage every 24 to 72 hours. The driver who has the footage you need does not know they have it. By the time you think to look for it, the footage may already be gone.

Check for Surveillance Cameras

Walk or drive the area around where the hit-and-run happened. Look for security cameras on nearby businesses, gas stations, banks, restaurants, and apartment buildings. Look for doorbell cameras (like Ring or Nest) on houses that face the road.

If you spot cameras, go inside and ask the manager or owner if you can review the footage. Explain what happened and give them the time window. Some businesses will cooperate right away. Others will want a police request or subpoena. Either way, ask them to preserve the footage so it does not get overwritten. Many commercial surveillance systems overwrite within a week.

Give this information to the investigating officer as well. Police can request footage with more authority than a private citizen, especially when a crime was committed.

File an Uninsured Motorist Claim

Here is something many people do not realize: in a hit-and-run where you cannot identify the other driver, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage typically applies. This coverage exists specifically for situations where the at-fault driver has no insurance or cannot be identified.

Contact your insurance company and tell them you are filing a UM claim for a hit-and-run. You will need the police report number. Be prepared for them to ask a lot of questions. Stick to the facts. Do not speculate or exaggerate.

Some states require a "contact" for UM claims, meaning the other vehicle had to physically touch yours. Others do not. Your agent can explain how it works in your state. For a detailed walkthrough of the claims process, read our guide to filing an insurance claim.

If you have collision coverage, that applies too, but you will pay your deductible. With UM, you may avoid the deductible entirely since you were not at fault.

Why Dashcam Footage Changes Everything in Hit-and-Run Cases

Without footage, a hit-and-run is essentially an unsolved case. The police file the report, your insurance processes the UM claim, and that is it. The person who hit you gets away with it.

With dashcam footage, the outcome is completely different:

• 01
  License plate identification. Even a partial plate combined with a vehicle description is often enough for police to identify the owner.
• 02
  Vehicle make and model confirmed. Footage removes any ambiguity about what type of vehicle hit you.
• 03
  Proof of the crime. Video evidence of a driver fleeing the scene is powerful in criminal prosecution and civil litigation.
• 04
  Stronger insurance claim. When the at-fault driver is identified through footage, their insurance pays instead of yours. Your deductible disappears.

For a deeper look at how dashcam footage works as legal evidence, see our guide on dashcam footage as evidence.

Post a Bounty on DashcamBounty

DashcamBounty was built for exactly this situation. Here is how it works:

The entire process takes about two minutes. No account required. The sooner you post, the better your chances of recovering footage before it is overwritten.